14 Things to Eat to Cure Period Pains

Suddenly struck with a heat flash, your stomach tightens, and a wave of nausea crashes into you. Aunt Flow just rolled back into town, and she’s here to plague you for the next few days. Aw, crap. Get out the heating pad!

Before you turn to pounding ibuprofen in hopes of relief from the many symptoms, consider first turning to the best and most effective form of medicine: what you eat.

While on your period, your body runs a deficit for numerous nutrients, which results in unpleasant symptoms. However, it is possible (and rather effective) to compensate for this deficit by eating the proper foods or taking a supplement.

I have linked the vitamins/minerals you need below in supplement form for your convenience, if you’re reluctant to eating some of the foods that naturally contain that vitamin/mineral.

Just find your symptom(s) below and see what foods to eat to cure them!

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Cramping

Calcium

This mineral relaxes your muscles, and also contains live cultures which promote healthy digestion. However, you don’t want to get your calcium from dairy products, because they can actually trigger cramps.

Headache

Magnesium

This mineral helps alleviate pressure from the blood vessels in the head. There are many ongoing studies about how Magnesium helps to relieve migraine headaches. I personally suffer from chronic migraines (especially around that time of the month), but they are way less common when I supplement daily with magnesium oxide pills.

Vitamin B12

This vitamin plays crucial roles in maintaining the health of your blood cells, digestive system, brain, and nervous system. Recent research shows that many people who suffer from chronic fatigue have a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Bloating

Water

Drink up! You may be retaining water because you’re not drinking enough of it. Sounds counter intuitive, I know. But the body is an amazing machine! It purposefully hangs onto water, as it thinks that you are going to dehydrate, because you’re not drinking enough water.

Potassium

This mineral ensures that all cells, tissues and organs are operating properly. It can provide relief from bloating by balancing and circulating body fluids.

Sodium

Breast Tenderness

Caffeine

Some of us have an addiction! Limit your caffeine intake, cutting out caffeine if possible. Caffeine can play a role in cyclical breast soreness, affecting hormonal fluctuations which can lead to break outs. Yikes.

Foods that contain it: coffee, green and black tea, soda, and some medications.

Don’t Forget to Exercise!

This may be the very last thing that you feel like doing while on your period, but let me tell you, the benefits are worth the struggle.

The increase in oxygen intake will combat fatigue, giving you that pick-me-up that is often sought after from caffeine.

The increase in endorphins will elevate your mood, helping to kick the nasty attitude and welcome positivity and a sense of well being.

Regular exercise also helps to improve your body’s ability to keep your blood sugar in balance which is especially important in eliminating pre-menstrual symptoms.

Even if it’s just a 20 minute walk, get out there and get moving! Your body will thank you, I promise

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Thanks for reading! I hope that this post finds you in good health, and prepares you for the next time Aunt Flow comes to visit so that you may handle her many woes with ease.

Comment below your special tips or tricks that help you combat period pains!

We would love to hear from your experience or improvement with period symptoms after eating any of the above foods!

Products You Will Like:

For those of you that want to take it up a notch, here are the herbs that I turn to for extra menstrual relief. For the general PMS symptoms, herbs are brilliant. They help to balance the female hormones and alleviate symptoms.

Black Cohosh: This herb is particularly helpful for the anxiety and tension symptoms of PMS and also headaches and migraines that occur premenstrually. It is a huge help when I need to get some work done, but I have a headache.

Skullcap: Skullcap has a calming effect on the body. I use this when my moods are completely out of whack to regain a reign on my hormones.

Milk Thistle: This improves liver function. It is your liver that has to detoxify your female hormones so you want it to be working efficiently. I use this to get over all symptoms as fast as possible!

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